Water shortages could force evacuation of Iranian capital

0:00This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. If journalism is the first draft of history, what happens if that draft is flawed? In 1999, four Russian apartment buildings were bombed, hundreds killed. But even now, we still don't know for sure who did it. It's a mystery that sparked chilling theories. I'm Helena Merriman, and in a new BBC series, I'm talking to the reporters who first covered this story. What did they miss the first time? The History Bureau. Putin and the apartment bombs. Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts. This is the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service.

0:47I'm Alex Ritson and in the early hours of Sunday, the 9th of November, these are our main stories. Water supplies in Tehran are being restricted with warnings that the Iranian capital may have to be evacuated. Bolivia swears in a new president and restores diplomatic relations with the United States for the first time in 17 years. Saudi Arabia launches a campaign to become more popular than France as a tourist destination. Also in this podcast. The label's like, ah, you are the person that's going to bring the elephants. And we are, yeah, yeah. It's really interesting the way that the community here engages with the project because it's about, really?

1:28Elephants here? Why elephants could soon return to the rolling hills of Portugal. It seems an extraordinary suggestion. All 10 million inhabitants of the Iranian capital Tehran might be forced to leave unless the city gets some rainfall in the next eight weeks. Mohamed Ali Mowalan manages the main dam which supplies the capital. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough rain. Rainfall is reduced by 90 to 92 percent compared with last year. This has caused the amount of water stored in the reservoir to drop to just 8 percent of its capacity. And this was the warning from President Massoud Pizeshgian amid the worst drought in decades.

2:20If it doesn't rain, we'll have to start rationing water in Tehran between late November and early December. Even if we do ration it, and it still doesn't rain by then, we'll run out of water and we'll have to evacuate Tehran. Since that warning was broadcast on Friday, the government has announced that Tehran will face cuts to water supplies as reservoirs begin to run dry. But this is not a new problem for Iran. Water expert Professor Kavar Madani used to work for Iran's Environment Department but left because of political pressure. He said that even a sudden deluge would not help the current situation.

2:58There are years of mismanagement, lack of foresight problems that have appeared. And then on top of that, you have a catalyst being a drought that is now in its sixth year, and then climate change as a major global driver. Even some rain would not solve this problem fundamentally. And I'm worried that with the first rain, we all forget that this problem was real. My colleague Owen Bennett-Jones asked Omid Kazani, a freelance journalist in Tehran, how bad are the water shortages? Some officials were saying that actually we're warning the people that every house, every apartment needs to be equipped with water tanks because there will be a serious rationing in place and also the situation is catastrophic.

3:46So how many hours a day are people having their water supply cut off? It depends on the districts and neighbourhoods. In some neighbourhoods, there are reports that they have water cuts three, four hours, especially in summer, at least three or four hours of water cuts in many districts were reported. But it's going to be worse than that. I've just been reading up about this, and it's not just Tehran, is it? I mean, Isfahan is also very short of water. Yes, Israhan in Shiraz, even in northwestern part of the country, which had relatively better rainfalls, there is serious warnings for water cuts and droughts.

4:27You're blaming the drought, but there are other aspects to this, aren't there? There are an awful lot of illegal wells in Iran. People just dig a well in their garden to secure water for their household, and that causes problems. Yes, this is called mega mismanagement over decades. and a range of issues that ranging from lousy agricultural expansion around the country, especially in mainland. And I think that it goes without saying that what caused the Urmia Lake, the second largest salt lake in the world, dried up because of the illegal wells, which in that area was more than 30 ,000. and the same story hits other parts of the country.

5:15I mean, what about these reports I'm reading that buildings are beginning to shift because the ground under them is drying out and that's causing, you know, big problems? Yeah, Iran is one of the countries that is hit with this phenomenon, is one of the worst situations that the country is experiencing, especially in central cities of Isfahan and Shiraz and southern parts of capital Tehran, because there were overconsumption and overextraction of wells in these cities because of the drought. Yeah, so I mean, it sounds really, really bad. And we've got very senior officials saying that it may be necessary to evacuate Tehran.

5:56I mean, it's a massive city. Are people taking that seriously? Do they think that's going to happen? I don't think it is possible because even if it is approved by parliament and other legislative bodies, Evacuating a city of 10 million is close to impossible. And there are some reports of moving the capital to other parts of the country, especially the south. I think it is not possible either. Omid Kazani. For the first time in almost 20 years, Bolivia has a conservative president ending the political dominance of the Socialist Party. A few hours ago, Rodrigo Paz, a pro-business politician, was sworn in as president in the capital, La Paz, in a ceremony hosted by his deputy.

6:44Queda usted posesionado como presidente constitucional del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia. You are hereby sworn in as the constitutional president of the plurinational state of Bolivia, the translation goes. In his inauguration speech, President Paz said Bolivia would now be open to the world after two decades of left-wing governance. It's already been announced that it's re-establishing diplomatic relations with the United States. Last month, the new president's Christian Democrat Party won an election dominated by a severe economic crisis. Luis Fajardo is our South American expert for BBC monitoring.

7:26He joined me from Miami and began telling me more about Bolivia's new leader. His father was President Paz Zamora, who was a left-wing president in Bolivia a few decades ago. Mr. Paz Zamora, the father of the current president of Bolivia, got in trouble with the military government at the time in Bolivia. He had to escape to exile in Europe, and that's why President Ligopas was actually born in Spain. However, he has returned to the country and now he's been seen as starting a new moment in Bolivian politics after nearly 20 years of domination by the left wing. Now he's seen as a moderate. And his victory comes as something of a surprise.

8:13Certainly a big surprise. As I was mentioning, the left wing in Bolivia had been very strong for nearly 20 years. the mass movement led by the former president, Tevo Morales. And also there was a very strong candidate in the right. They were the two candidates who had been expected to reach the final round. However, Mr. Pasamora had a very surprising presidential campaign. He was also helped by his vice presidential candidate, who was a former police officer who became a social media sensation because of his criticism and his denunciations of corruption in the police, something that struck a nerve with many voters.

8:54He faces some serious issues, doesn't he? Certainly. One of the things Mr. Paz said today when taking over the presidency, he was demanding rhetorically to ask the former government, literally, he said, what did you do with the economic boom? Because for many years, Bolivia had been experiencing an energy boom, a very good situation in terms of exports of energy, of natural gas. But this situation has markedly deteriorated in the last few years. And now Bolivia is facing a serious economic crisis. It has a serious shortage of foreign currency. It is increasingly dependent on foreign energy imports.

9:33So he's facing a lot of trouble, a lot of economic instability, and a lot of expectations to see if he can move the economy in a different direction. Yeah, and he says he wants to build a closer relationship with the Trump administration. That is right. One of the key elements in Bolivian politics in the last 20 years was very antagonistic relations with the US. The US had not had a formal ambassador in Bolivia for more than a decade. And now the new government, the incoming government, is saying that they want to move away from what they call ideological extremism. And they want good relations with everyone, specifically with the United States.

10:10a high envoy of the U.S. government, announced precisely in the last few hours that a U.S. ambassador was returning to Bolivia. So certainly one of the things that people are looking at is how the Bolivian government is going to have a better political relation with the U.S. And the expectation is that this might help increase confidence in the business environment, maybe increase investment, and in that way, maybe make the economic problems that the country is facing a little bit easier to overcome. Luis Fajardo. It's been thousands of years since wild elephants roamed in Portugal, but soon these giant creatures will return to the rolling hills of rural Alentejo, the same region where they were last seen in the country.

10:53A new sanctuary is being built to provide lifelong care for elephants rehabilitated from zoos and circuses across Europe. Alistair Leithead has been to visit their new home. the last evidence of elephants in Portugal is a series of fossilized footprints discovered on this wild west coast of Alentejo the tracks date back more than 30 ,000 years just before the giant straight tusked elephants they belonged to went extinct in 200 BC elephants were shipped from North Africa to Iberia by Hannibal of Carthage who marched them over the Alps to the edge of Rome But now they're coming back to inland Alentejo, a couple of hours' drive from here, for a more peaceful existence.

11:39It's a really beautiful site, actually. It used to be a cattle farm and a eucalyptus plantation, and we've spent the last one to two years basically trying to restore the biodiversity on site to get ready for elephants. Kate Moore is giving me a tour of the new 400-hectare, 1 ,000-acre reserve. And we've estimated the carrying capacity is between 20 and 30 elephants. And this isn't just for creating a place for people to come and see elephants? No, indeed. It's going to be closed to visitors, so we will have the odd open day for local communities, but no, this is all about the welfare of the elephants.

12:11Kate leads Pangaea, a UK charity set up to find those elephants a peaceful place to retire. Our first elephant is confirmed as an elephant from Belgium who's called Kariba. She was wild caught in Zimbabwe 40 years ago. she was shipped off to Germany and has spent the last 40 years in zoos in Belgium, Netherlands, Germany. Now we've just come to the top of a hill it's a stunning view you can see Spain from here I think can't you? You can, you can. How did you choose this site and was there a lot of competition from other sites in Europe? We looked across the whole of Europe we did a feasibility study looking at all the different landscapes and the reason we chose this one is gentle rolling hills lots and lots of water, good diverse habitat and also privacy.

12:56And you think they'll settle in in this environment? I think they'll love it.

13:05We might be in the middle of Portugal, but the landscape is very reminiscent of Africa. It's just the flat-topped acacia trees have been replaced by cork oak trees. And it's not difficult to imagine elephants wallowing in this little waterhole. the barn where the elephants can shelter is almost finished and the giant jurassic park style fences are being installed basically it's ready to receive the first elephants grasa fonseca is on pangéa's board as a former portuguese minister of culture she's passionate about the project what do you think people in the area here will think about elephants on the horizon they love it you know when the first visits i did here and we were passing through a really small cafe and the lady was like, ah, you are the person that's going to bring the elephants.

13:55And we were, yeah, yeah, we are bringing the elephants. Yes, you know, I told all my neighbors here that the elephants were coming. They wouldn't believe me, but now they believe me. You are bringing the elephants. It's really interesting the way that the community here engaged with the project because it's about, really? Elephants here? Soon these sounds of the African savannah will be coming to the Alentejo. as these amazing and intelligent animals adjust to their new home after a long time away. Alistair Leithead reporting. In recent years, Saudi Arabia has gone some way to try to change its image, whether this be in sport, culture or moving the economy away from being dependent on oil.

14:40The latest venture involves building more accommodation for people on middle-income budgets to try to attract 150 million tourists every year by 2030. There'll be a new visa scheme to encourage visitors from other Arab countries and cheaper options will be available at 10 new resorts, which are due to open on Shibara Island in the Red Sea. I heard more from our global affairs reporter, Paul Moss. Imagine you are looking for a spot for a holiday next year and you decide on Saudi Arabia. Perhaps you're attracted by the Bedouin culture or that opulent Islamic architecture. And you go to one of the country's Red Sea resorts, you will end up paying about$2 ,000 a night just for the hotel.

15:25Now, obviously, the Arab world does have some very wealthy people, but that does kind of limit people with that kind of price. However, Saudi Arabia says that it wants to get 150 million visitors every year by the end of the decade. I had to check that number wasn't a misprint. Bear in mind, France is the world's most popular tourist destination country and they only get 100 million, so 150 million is pretty ambitious. And it seems that the Saudi government has now realised that to achieve this, it's going to have to give some cheaper accommodation options. And so, yes, the Saudi tourism minister told people at a tourism conference they were going to focus on the mid-range market.

16:04He said they're opening 10 new resorts in the coming months. They won't forget the mid-range sector. I think it's worth noticing, though, they do only mention the mid-range sector, not cheap accommodations. So I don't think we're going to have scruffy backpackers turning up in Saudi Arabia, hoping to share a dormitory in a youth hostel. Why is Saudi Arabia doing this? Well, tourism is just one part of the attempt by the Saudi crown prince to diversify away from oil and gas. It's a project he calls Vision 2030. Climate change means that lots of countries are turning to renewables instead of oil and gas.

16:37and the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, known universally as MBS, realises that just too many of the country's eggs are in one fossil fuel basket. So tourism is just part of this change. They're also talking about developing manufacturing in Saudi Arabia, digital economy, investing in healthcare. I should say this also involves Saudi Arabia very much trying to change the country's image. Famously, MBS has said that women can now drive, they can go to the cinema. They've even had parties in the desert where, guess what, men and women are dancing together. I think it's an open question, though, whether this rebranding is going to work.

17:16For some people, Saudi Arabia will remain a country where, as far as they're concerned, women's rights are extremely limited. And, well, let's be honest, dozens of people are beheaded every year after trials which a lot of people think are not fair. Yeah. So, I mean, that's it. Is this tourism plan going to work? Well, I think that's a good question. I mean, a mainstay of the visitor economy in Saudi Arabia is pilgrims performing the Hajj, and clearly they will always want to come. And of course, it's very possible that if visiting Mecca becomes cheaper, more of them will make the journey. For secular tourists, though, different story.

17:51I mean, one big potential problem is that for many people, going on holiday involves eating out in restaurants and, of course, drinking alcohol. and that is strictly forbidden in Saudi Arabia outside of the compounds which house foreign diplomats. There has been a suggestion a similar allowance will be made for foreign tourists. They will be able to knock back a pint of beer or a glass of wine but the government in Riyadh has denied any such decisions being made. Presumably they're all too aware of the opposition they'll face from the religious authorities there. Paul Moss. Still to come in this podcast.

18:27These things just don't happen in threes. That's crazy. When we got down to the green, it was there in the hole. The golfer who defied staggering odds to hit three holes in one in just a month.

18:50If journalism is the first draft of history, what happens if that draft is flawed? In 1999, four Russian apartment buildings were bombed, hundreds killed. But even now, we still don't know for sure who did it. It's a mystery that sparked chilling theories. I'm Helena Merriman, and in a new BBC series, I'm talking to the reporters who first covered this story. What did they miss the first time? The History Bureau, Putin and the apartment bombs. Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

19:28Another typhoon is heading towards the Philippines. The storm Fung Wong has intensified to a super typhoon and is due to make landfall in the coming hours. Typhoon Fung Wong will bring sustained winds of around 185 kilometres an hour and torrential rain to several areas. The authorities have urged residents in coastal and low-lying areas to seek safety. The latest storm comes just days after another typhoon hit the Philippines, causing widespread destruction and killing at least 200 people. Regis Chapman is the World Food Programme's director in the Philippines. As we look at Funguang, it's hitting different parts of the country.

20:09So while rescue efforts have been paused in parts of Visayas, Luzon is now beginning to feel the impact of Funguang. WFP has teams on the ground. We work hand in hand with the government. And what's really interesting about Fung Wong is we've been able to, through our engagement with the Department of Social Welfare and Development, we're getting cash out before the storm hits. And so we're aiming to reach around 150 ,000 people over the last several days with cash transfers. And that will equip them to be able to basically heed government warnings and prepare themselves, whether that's protecting boats and livelihood assets by getting them out of harm's way, boarding up doors and windows, or stocking up on food supplies and other necessities, again, before the storm hits.

20:57There is right now urgent needs for food, water, shelter, the usual things that you see in this type of an event. Just now we've been supporting the government to transport what they call family food packs. So around 100 ,000 family food packs are being pre-positioned for the super typhoon that's on its way. Regis Chapman from the World Food Programme. It's one of the great mysteries of mountaineering. Did George Mallory and Andrew Irvin reach the top of Mount Everest before they disappeared in 1924? Although some of their remains have been discovered, the question of whether they actually got to the summit has never been answered.

21:36Now, British twins have tried to test whether it was feasible given what they would have been wearing a century ago. Will Chalk takes up the story. When it comes to comparing technology, the advantages of using twins are obvious. We are genetically identical. We are identical mirror twins. We are almost identical in terms of body weight. That's Ross Turner, who, along with his brother Hugo, has just climbed Mirror Peak near Everest in Nepal. For Ross, it was business as usual in the latest high-tech climbing gear. Hugo, on the other hand, was in an exact replica of the outfit George Mallory was wearing when he disappeared.

22:17So I was the younger one. I got the short straw and yeah, what an experience, what an experience. And so we had about two years preparation to get all the kit together. And it's not easy to find A, out what he wore and B, get it made. But we had Crockett and Jones made the world's first pair of replica boots. We had a tailoring, a siren cest to make all the different layers. I think I had seven different layers. So how was it? Well, here are some clips from the climb. It's freezing. Absolute freezing. We're all freezing. The altitude's increasing. The wind speed's increasing. The temperature's dropping.

22:59It's Baltic. It's cold. Despite the cold, the brothers made it. And by putting tiny thermometers all over both of their bodies, they've been able to show just how much climbing gear has moved on in 100 years. So every five minutes we had live data coming from our boots, our thighs, arms, chest, to see the difference. So excitingly, the George Mallory kit is probably two or three degrees on average colder than the modern, which is really exciting. As for the mystery of George Mallory, there's no earth shattering solution here. But for Ross, it's enough to shed at least some light on it. We hope over the next couple of weeks to release some of this data to the public so that people can get a real insight into George Mallory's performance and answer that epically exciting question, could he have got to the top of Everest in 1924, which I think we both agree he probably could have with the performance in his kit.

23:58Ross Turner ending that report by Will Chalk. An English amateur golfer in her mid-70s has made three holes in one in a month. For those of you not familiar with the term, it's when a player's ball goes into the hole the first time they hit it. Lynn Parry achieved the feat twice at her home club and the third time at a nearby course. I'm not sure how you go about calculating the odds on this, but someone has said they're 1.95 trillion to one. And there's more. She's actually hit five holes in one, but two came the month before. Some players go a whole lifetime without managing one. Owen Bennett-Jones asked her how she'd done it.

24:40It was a beautiful sunny day, the day of our club AGM. AGM, annual general meeting. Yeah, on the third hole, I hit what I thought felt nice, that felt good. I knew it was going pretty close to the hole, but because the direction of the sun and the greens had just been sanded, actually, it was a little bit difficult to be sure. Anyway, when we got up to the hole, there it was in the hole. So I was very popular that day at the AGM with the free drinks. Oh, I see. What a terrible day for this to happen. I should explain that when you get a hole-in-one, it's a tradition that the person who got the hole-in-one buys everyone in the bar a drink.

25:20So you might be hoping there'll be half a dozen people there or something, but you had the AGM. Must have been a load of people. Well, it was, but to be fair, our club very thoughtfully takes out insurance against these occasions. So my bar bill was covered by the club, which is, or by the club's insurance. That's amazing. There's insurance for a club can get in case someone gets a hole in one and the insurance company pays for the drinks. Apparently so. Right, then your second hole and then your third, by which point your fellow golfers you play with must be thinking you had a magnet in the ball or some cunning plan.

25:57What did they say when you got the third one? we were actually visiting another local club that day again it felt really nice when it came off the club i knew it was close but i thought no these things just don't happen in threes that's crazy when we got down to the green it was there in the hole are you actually a good golfer i mean you know i mean i say that you started i think in your 50s it's an extremely difficult game people play their whole lives and don't get great at it. Yeah, how good a player are you? I mean, was this real luck or are you actually quite good? I wouldn't say I'm quite good.

26:33I would say I'm average, but I did have a terrific summer. I just had one of those summers where I couldn't do anything wrong. So a professional player would have a handicap of zero. An absolute rank amateur would have, let's say, 24 or 36. Where are you on that scale? Currently, 12.7. 12 is pretty good. Well, I'll never get any better, let's put it like that. Amateur golfer Lynne Parry, and she was speaking to Owen Bennett-Jones. In the book Alice in Wonderland, there's a famous scene known as the Mad Hatter's Tea Party. Now, a document has been discovered that sheds light on a social gathering held by the book's author, Lewis Carroll, which might have even inspired his literary creation.